Six years have already passed since my friend went away from me, with his sheep.

我的朋友带着他的小羊已经离去六年了。

If I try to describe him here, it is to make sure that I shall not forget him.

我之所以在这里尽力把他描写出来，就是为了不要忘记他。

To forget a friend is sad.

忘记一个朋友，这太叫人悲伤了。

Not every one has had a friend.

并不是所有的人都有过一个朋友。

And if I forget him, I may become like the grown-ups who are no longer interested in anything but figures...

再说，我也可能变成那些大人那样，只对数字感兴趣。

It is for that purpose, again, that I have bought a box of paints and some pencils.

也正是为了这个缘故，我买了一盒颜料和一些铅笔。

It is hard to take up drawing again at my age,

像我这样年纪的人，

when I have never made any pictures except those of the boa constrictor from the outside and the boa constrictor from the inside, since I was six.

而且除了六岁时画过闭着肚皮的和开着肚皮的巨蟒外，别的什么也没有尝试过，现在，重新再来画画，真费劲啊！

I shall certainly try to make my portraits as true to life as possible.

当然，我一定要把这些画尽量地画得逼真，

But I am not at all sure of success.

但我自己也没有把握。

One drawing goes along all right, and another has no resemblance to its subject.

一张画得还可以，另一张就不象了。

I make some errors, too, in the little prince's height: in one place he is too tall and in another too short.

还有身材大小，我画得有点不准确。在这个地方小王子画得太大了些，另一个地方又画得太小了些。

And I feel some doubts about the color of his costume.

对他衣服的颜色我也拿不准。

So I fumble along as best I can, now good, now bad, and I hope generally fair-to-middling.

于是我就摸索着这么试试那么改改，画个大概齐。

In certain more important details I shall make mistakes, also.

我很可能在某些重要的细节上画错了。

But that is something that will not be my fault.

这就得请大家原谅我了。

My friend never explained anything to me.

因为我的这个朋友，从来也不加说明解释。

He thought, perhaps, that I was like himself.

他认为我同他一样。

But I, alas, do not know how to see sheep through the walls of boxes.

可是，很遗憾，我却不能透过盒子看见小羊。

Perhaps I am a little like the grown-ups.

我大概有点和大人们差不多。

I have had to grow old.

我一定是变老了。